The Daughters of Izdihar
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Elsbai's debut is set in a mix of modern Egypt and a timeless fantasy world. Pampered and impetuous, Nehal is forced to marry a man she does not love to improve her family's fortunes. Ironically, Giorgina is in love with that same man, but her lack of status leaves her no recourse to marry him. Both characters are connected by their innate ability to weave elements (water and earth) and the otherwise general powerlessness that women have in their society. Both join the Daughters of Izdihar to fight for the right to vote and attend the weaving academy, but rarely are civil rights earned without struggle. And even though Nehal has prestige, and Giorgina can cause earthquakes, the danger continues to grow. The narrative switches between the protagonists, providing a distinct perspective on both upper- and lower-class life. The magical system is simple but engaging. Recommended for fans of unique settings and feminist fantasy, like The City of Brass, by S. A. Chakraborty (2017), A Master of Djinn, by P. Djeli Clark (2021), or The Power, by Naomi Alderman (2017).

Elsbai's rocky epic fantasy debut and duology launch suffers from uneven worldbuilding that is simultaneously elaborately detailed in its Egyptian-styled setting and cartoonishly shallow in its presentation of misogyny and societal inequities. In Ramsawa, the power of weaving--elemental magic granted by the gods to only a few--is barely tolerated, and only truly accepted in men. Young noblewoman and waterweaver Nehal Darweesh grudgingly acquiesces to a financially driven arranged marriage to Nico Baldinotti after the pair agree to a deal: she'll allow him to keep his lover, bookstore clerk Giorgina Shukry, as a concubine if he'll sign the papers for Nehal to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy. Giorgina and Nehal meet through the Daughters of Izdihar, a group of radical women agitating for women's right to vote, many of whom are hiding weaving abilities. Their involvement opens themselves to the wrath of powerful men in a country on the brink of war, but the camaraderie of the group helps them find the courage to defy expectations. It's a promising premise, but there's a frustrating lack of nuance to the gender relations. Meanwhile, a slight secondary arc about Nehal's realization of her own queerness yields a depiction of cultural homophobia as hamfisted as the rest. This disappoints. (Jan.)

DEBUT In Alamaxa, privileged princess Nehal and working-class Giorgina have two things in common: their rights as adults to determine their own fates are completely subjugated, and neither has been permitted training in the element-based magic with which they were both born--because they are women. By different paths, they make their way to the Daughters of Izdihar, a clandestine organization fighting for equal rights. That political agenda arouses the ire of traditionalists, and a neighboring empire is using the resulting upheaval as cover for their own agenda--subjugating their enemies through misinformation or war--all while taking out Alamaxa's best hope of victory before it ever has a chance to fully flower. VERDICT Elsbai's debut feminist fantasy, inspired by modern Egyptian history, provides an in-depth exploration of a society on the edge of revolution and war. The fight for women's rights is centered here, but it is clear that more is yet to come in book two of this projected duology.--Marlene Harris

Two young women fight for their freedom in the midst of political upheaval, threats of war, and suspicions about the magic they wield. In the kingdom of Ramsawa, based on a fantastical Egypt, Nehal Darweesh is forced to agree to a marriage to help her family settle her father's gambling debts. Nehal, however, will not go quietly and manages to convince her new husband, Niccolo Baldinotti, to allow her to enroll in the Alamaxa Academy of the Weaving Arts to study waterweaving. Nico is equally uninterested in the marriage, as he intended to marry Giorgina Shukry until his father learned she was of a lower status. Giorgina, meanwhile, unbeknownst to her family, has joined the Daughters of Izdihar, a group of women from all levels of society fighting for their rights--to a vote, to education, to a life not subservient to men. Soon, Nehal too becomes interested in the Daughters of Izdihar and is drawn to their charismatic leader, Malak Mamdouh. Power, however, is not so easily given up, and the Daughters of Izdihar face both scorn and violence. Meanwhile, factions within the government and outside of Ramsawa's borders continue to view the magical ability to control an element, taught at the Alamaxa Academy, with suspicion and fear. As tensions threaten to boil over, Nehal and Giorgina must both come to an understanding of themselves, their places within society, and their powers both tangible and intangible before they can finally and decisively fight for their own freedom. Reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's fantasies, but all grown up, with a focus on women, magic, and political schemes, this novel is cleareyed regarding social issues, timely, and above all, an engrossing fantasy. Sympathetic yet flawed characters set against a complex society on the edge of change bring this novel to vibrant life. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Elsbai's debut is set in a mix of modern Egypt and a timeless fantasy world. Pampered and impetuous, Nehal is forced to marry a man she does not love to improve her family's fortunes. Ironically, Giorgina is in love with that same man, but her lack of status leaves her no recourse to marry him. Both characters are connected by their innate ability to weave elements (water and earth) and the otherwise general powerlessness that women have in their society. Both join the Daughters of Izdihar to fight for the right to vote and attend the weaving academy, but rarely are civil rights earned without struggle. And even though Nehal has prestige, and Giorgina can cause earthquakes, the danger continues to grow. The narrative switches between the protagonists, providing a distinct perspective on both upper- and lower-class life. The magical system is simple but engaging. Recommended for fans of unique settings and feminist fantasy, like The City of Brass, by S. A. Chakraborty (2017), A Master of Djinn, by P. Djeli Clark (2021), or The Power, by Naomi Alderman (2017). Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

In this debut (and first in a duology) from Egyptian American librarian Elsbai, entitled aristocrat Nehal and Giorgina, an impoverished bookshop worker who expects little of life, discover that they share a common interest in women's rights. And they both have the means to fight for those rights by using forbidden magic, Nehal as a waterweaver and Giorgina as an earthweaver. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

DEBUT In Alamaxa, privileged princess Nehal and working-class Giorgina have two things in common: their rights as adults to determine their own fates are completely subjugated, and neither has been permitted training in the element-based magic with which they were both born—because they are women. By different paths, they make their way to the Daughters of Izdihar, a clandestine organization fighting for equal rights. That political agenda arouses the ire of traditionalists, and a neighboring empire is using the resulting upheaval as cover for their own agenda—subjugating their enemies through misinformation or war—all while taking out Alamaxa's best hope of victory before it ever has a chance to fully flower. VERDICT Elsbai's debut feminist fantasy, inspired by modern Egyptian history, provides an in-depth exploration of a society on the edge of revolution and war. The fight for women's rights is centered here, but it is clear that more is yet to come in book two of this projected duology.—Marlene Harris

Elsbai's rocky epic fantasy debut and duology launch suffers from uneven worldbuilding that is simultaneously elaborately detailed in its Egyptian-styled setting and cartoonishly shallow in its presentation of misogyny and societal inequities. In Ramsawa, the power of weaving—elemental magic granted by the gods to only a few—is barely tolerated, and only truly accepted in men. Young noblewoman and waterweaver Nehal Darweesh grudgingly acquiesces to a financially driven arranged marriage to Nico Baldinotti after the pair agree to a deal: she'll allow him to keep his lover, bookstore clerk Giorgina Shukry, as a concubine if he'll sign the papers for Nehal to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy. Giorgina and Nehal meet through the Daughters of Izdihar, a group of radical women agitating for women's right to vote, many of whom are hiding weaving abilities. Their involvement opens themselves to the wrath of powerful men in a country on the brink of war, but the camaraderie of the group helps them find the courage to defy expectations. It's a promising premise, but there's a frustrating lack of nuance to the gender relations. Meanwhile, a slight secondary arc about Nehal's realization of her own queerness yields a depiction of cultural homophobia as hamfisted as the rest. This disappoints. (Jan.)